Dave Portnoy reignites Caitlin Clark Olympics row as he rips ‘grandma’ USA star Diana Taurasi, 42, for her display in loss to Indiana Fever
The debate surrounding Caitlin Clark’s omission from the Olympics has been revived by Dave Portnoy after the Indiana Fever defeated the Phoenix Mercury.
The Barstool Sports founder has been one of the most vocal critics of USA Basketball’s decision not to leave the WNBA star on the roster for this summer’s Olympics.
Portnoy called the selection committee members “stupid,” “brain dead” and “idiot” for the controversial decision and doubled down on his criticism after Indiana’s win over Phoenix.
Clark made more history in the game, with 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds – despite suffering from migraines throughout the game.
The Mercury has featured several WNBA legends, including Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, who once warned that Clark needed to prepare for a difficult transition to competition.
Caitlin Clark shined as the Indiana Fever defeated a Phoenix Mercury team featuring Diana Taurasi
Dave Portnoy has again criticized the decision to leave Caitlin Clark off the Olympic squad
Taurasi is part of the 12-player squad for Paris, but after the match Portnoy called her a “granny” and wrote on social media: “By the way, Caitlin Clark did a little criticism of Grandma Taurasi on the road today 9/15/12.
‘But yes, Diana participated in the Olympic Games for the hundredth time. What a joke.’
The 42-year-old athlete has competed in the last five Olympic Games, winning gold medals in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
After Sunday’s game, Taurasi was full of praise for Clark how she handles the new level of competition.
Taurasi praised Clark for the way she handled the level of competition in the WNBA
āIt’s amazing what Caitlin has been able to do in her short career so far. It just wasn’t anything short or notable. āThe one thing I really like about her is that she loves the game,ā the veteran said.
“You can tell she’s worked hard. Even in her short WNBA career, there’s been a lot of pressure and a lot of things thrown at her.
‘She continues to show herself and gets better every game.
“Her future looks super bright. As a veteran and being in the chair for a long time, it’s pretty cool to see that and go into the future.”